Who foots the bill after 2015? What new trends in development finance mean for the post-MDGs

The development finance landscape has undergone major changes since the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were first conceived: traditional aid is under pressure and actors are mushrooming, including non-DAC donors, philanthropists and providers of climate finance. What are the implications of this new financing landscape for the post-2015 negotiations?

While financial considerations should not be the dominant factor in considering the shape and structure of whatever comes after the MDGs, they do need to be borne in mind. Those likely to provide the finance are more likely to do so if the framework chimes with their own priorities and intentions; and those not included in initial discussions are unlikely to want to pay later.

By reviewing past and likely future trends development finance and by summarising what we know about the interests and priorities of the main players in the post-2015 negotiations, the paper proposes 10 recommendations as to how the post-2015 agreement should be structured and monitored.